Mexico's PAN Party ponders Lopez Obrador's remark declaring himself "President" (Translation)

eluniversal.com.mx ^ | July 26, 2006 | Jorge Teherán ( translated by self )

[engrpat]

Oh great, a civil war on our southern border. I can't imagine the number of "refuges" that will pour into the US seeking political asylum.

[StJacques]

That has been the danger AMLO has represented from the very beginning engrpat. If he were to have won, it would be almost as bad as a civil war, because his policies would surely wreck Mexico. Since he didn't win, he apparently intends to wreck Mexico in an act of spite.

[MiHeat]

I think it time to join the fight against commies as was done in Spain in the 30's.

[Shuttle Shucker]

The National Republican Governor's Association ought to hear from someone about the potential strategic benefits of congratulating Felipe, don't you think? Puerto Rico's governor just followed suit after Utah's took Bush's more tentative lead. Hopefully the unions won't drum up that much support for their march of protest ("on behalf of the disenfranchised Mexican people") this Sunday...

[Shuttle Shucker]

Here's the Republican Governor's Association's site:

http://www.rga.org

[StJacques]

Thanks for the link on the Republican Governor's site. I did catch your other post on the previous thread, I just assumed you would end up here.

It may be time for everyone to start thinking what we might be able to do to help Mexico avoid the calamity I think Lopez Obrador has in mind for them.

[rovenstinez]

Your comments reflect intelligence, thought, reason, details and balance. I live in Mexico. For us here, we see that the PRD party is basically divided, as they made many gains in the senatorial, mayors, governors races etc, and there is a moderate group among them that really hates to see their party hijacked by a Messianic Self Proclaimed Fix-It-All man. After Mexico City is shut down, no truck loads of Tysen Chickens can get in from ARkansas, and when the produce can't get to the market, people will all complain about the chaotic mess, and they'll probably all go back to complaining get off the streets and go back to work if it gets bad enough, some might even move out of Mexico City and try to live in NYC.

[StJacques]

Well those are some very kind words rovenstinez. Thank you.

I have been asking myself about how long AMLO and the PRD, PT, Convergencia, et al. will be able to fully disrupt Mexico before it backfires but I must be honest and admit that I am too far removed from the situation to have a good understanding. What I tend to expect is that they will organize in the center of the country and then do one of two things; either try to take control of the areas in which they hold power and rule outside of any federal government control or perhaps try to make the areas where PAN won the election ungovernable by "bringing the fight to them" instead. And I especially worry that they may try to seize control of the Petroleum Industry. Pemex's centers of operation are in Tabasco, where the PRD is very strong, and I believe they control the oil workers union.

For your sake and for everyone else in Mexico I hope this turns out for the best.

[Shuttle Shucker]

I think you and your friends might find the following 3 links to be of considerable interest:

http://capwiz.com/sicminc/issues/alert/?alertid=8936716&type=CO

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:h.r.05523:

http://www.directory.com.mx/immigration

[Liz]

Nice finds---thanks for the ping.

[Shuttle Shucker]

You bet! It's nice to see some on the Hill are actually doing something about Mexico's immigration hypocrisy. If there's movement in favor of the bill, it will likely get re-proposed after it expires at the end of this Congressional term. Meanwhile it's a great rallying cry to keep our own laws from becoming even more lenient.

[Shuttle Shucker]

Uh oh...this is the first I've seen that the PRI is apparently siding with the PRD in objecting to the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute's report on the July 2nd elections:

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/365194.html

[Shuttle Shucker]

Here's a brand new photo of AMLO, el LOCO: Only the labor unions & illiterate masses would rally behind such @sses...

[StJacques]

I wouldn't worry about that release too much. Over the past few days the TEPJF has thrown out several challenges of the PRI for deputy seats in Jalisco, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and more and the PRI has made some harsh statements about the IFE for its role in reporting to the TEPJF on these particular elections. If you read the statement of Felipe Solís Acero, the PRI leader who responded to the IFE's avowal that the elections were clean, you will see that he was critical of the tone of the IFE's public statement and he seemed to be asking the IFE's Teresa González Luna to clarify just who she was talking about, which I take to be a PRI question "are you talking about us or the For the Good of All coalition?"

Quote:

"The representative of the alliance, Felipe Solis Acero, criticized the tone that the advisor employed in reading the release. 'It looks to me to be a reproachful tone, an accusatory tone, an admonishing tone, without giving any clarity as to an intended object. It is necessary to be precise as to whom she refers.'"

In the 2nd to last paragraph you will see that Solis is also angry about the manner in which the IFE is bringing the political parties before it to address complaints (quejas) which have been brought forth about their behavior -- no details about the complaints are given -- in a manner Solis described as implying an oppositional role for the IFE and making it difficult for the PRI to defend itself (I think this may have something to do with some very rough handling of PRI election fraud in Oaxaca, but I can't prove it). Solis says that if the IFE wants to generate a crisis, this is the way to do it.

I think the PRI is responding to a loss of face in recent days. I see nothing in any of this that implies support of AMLO's challenge to the elections.

[Shuttle Shucker]

Thanks for that point of view. Hopefully the PRI won't jump on the "let's throw out those electoral results" bandwagon in its new power-broker role as a potential boat-rocker (but no longer a boat captain).

[StJacques]

There is one thing that should leap out at the PRI as defining their interest at this present moment. And that is, that if the PRD should convince the TEPJF to annul the election -- highly unlikely in my opinion, but more of a possibility under Mexican electoral law than a vote by vote recount of all 41 million plus ballots -- that could cost the PRI in its public image. Now I'm not enough of an expert on Mexican electoral law to know whether this would impact the awarding of seats in the Chamber of Deputies, because some of those are awarded based on the proportional vote in the July 2 election each party received -- I tend to doubt that is the case -- but at the very least there is a lot at stake in terms of public perception of the the popular standing of the major parties.

Check out this page:

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/nacion/141084.html

And look to the fourth paragraph where they give the results of a recent poll as to how the people would vote if the elections were held over again. Roberto Madrazo, the PRI candidate, gets on 17.4%, which is considerably less than he received on election day. And that makes sense, because a second voting in the presidential election would be treated by many Mexicans as a run-off between Calderon and Lopez Obrador. That is the last thing the PRI wants.

[StJacques]

By the way Shuttle Shucker, I wanted to show you this.

Take a look at Horacio Duarte, of the For the Good of All Coalition, speaking before the IFE today and holding up ballots from the Mexican state of Jalisco which he says were not counted.





Look closely at the two ballots shown. They are both marked for PAN. LOL!

[Shuttle Shucker]

Nice picture.

"Oh no, ObraGore's behind...better recount one MORE time!"

Anyhow, hopefully the PRI wouldn't think it might stand to gain public standing by being the deciding vote in throwing out the July 2nd vote. Otherwise, nearly 2/3's of the electorate's party reps. will be doing what they can to make Felipe's victory anything but that. Ah well.

[Shuttle Shucker]

Maybe the PRI will figure that pushing for a run-off or similar showdown between the PAN & PRD would make both of those parties vulnerable to criticisms from the other, while the PRI gets to sit back and seem squeaky clean in comparison... :-(

[ichabod1]

Wouldn't a putsch right down there across the border be EXCITING!